Improvement in air-engines



NPETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D. C..

UNrrn rares JOHN B. ATWATER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN AIR-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 53,097, dated March 13,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. ATWATER, of Chicago, Cook county, State ofIllinois, have invented a new and Improved Calorie Engine; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l is a plan viewof the improved caloric engine. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one side ofthe engine. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus for generatingsteam and heating air. Fig. 4, Sheet 2, is a vertical central sectionthrough the rareer. Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the boiler.Fig.6 is a top view of the rareiier. Fig. 7 is a top view of the boiler.Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the rotary air and steam cylinder.Fig. 9 is a view of that side of the face-plate of the rotary cylinderthrough which steam is introduced. Figs. 10 and ll show the two ends ofthe rotary cylinder.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in theseveral gures.

This invention relates to novel means of treating atmospheric air, andof introducing such air into a reheating or rarefyin g chamber, to beexpanded and afterward employed as a motive agent for driving engines.

Under certain circumstances atmospheric air will not readily comminglewith steam, hence air may be rapidly forced out of 0r compressed into achamber by means of steam introduced into the chamber so as to act orimpin ge directly upon the air therein. This fact is taken advantage ofby me in carrying out my invention for the purpose of forcing air into ararefyingchamber, where it is subjected to a high degree of heat andthen conducted off and employed for driving engines. 4 I employ steamfor two purposes: first, as a means for compressing air into ararefying-chamber, where it is highly expanded, and, secondly, forimparting moisture and also a certain degree of heat to the air thusfurnished to said chamber, the moisture being imparted after the effectof the first impulse of the steam on the air has been availed of.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawingsA represents a steam-boiler, which may hemade in the form of the frustum of a cone, or of any other suitableform.

B is an opening through the center of this boiler, in which thefire-chamber may be suitably arranged, so that the heated gas andproducts of combustion will escape at the upper end of said opening andimpinge upon a chamber, C, in which air is to be heated.

The object of constructing the boiler A of theform above mentioned is toobtain an cecilomy of fuel and heat by employing the waste heat forheating the chamber' C. Other modes of effecting this object may beemployed.

l The rarefying-ehamber C may be constructed of thehemispherical formshown in the drawings, and it should be made strong and tight.

rIhe boiler A communicates at certain times with chambers which areformed in a revolving cylinder, D, which cells or chambers communicateat certainl times with the rarefyingvessel C. This cylinder has threechambers, a b c, through it, which are at equal distances apart andequal distances from the axis of the cylinder, as shown in Figs. l() andl1, Sheet 2. The shaft D', to which this cylinder D is keyed, has itsbearings in two stationary disks, E E', which are suitably secured topillars FF. Said shaft passes through the centers of the disks and theYcylinder, and projects out from the disk E so as to receive upon it apulley, Gr, over which a belt passes that transmits motion to thecylinder D from the main shaft G of an engine, H, as shown in Figs. land 2.

The hat faces of the cylinder D and imping ing faces of the disks E Eare properly smoothed and ground together so as to form tightly-fittingjoints to prevent the escape of air or steam. The disk E has an opening,d, through it, which is equal in diameter to that of the chambers whichare made through the cylinder D, and directly opposite to this openingel an opening, df, corresponding in size to d, is made through the diskE', so that when either one of the chambers in the cylinder D is broughtopposite said openings d d air will rush into it at both ends. Anotheropening,

e, is made through the disk E, into which is screwed a pipe, A', whichleads to the boiler A, as shown in Figs. l and 3, Sheet 2, and directlyopposite the opening e a corresponding opening, e ,is made through thedisk E (Shown in Fig. l0.) Into this opening c a pipe, C, is

screwed, which leads to the rarefving-chamber (l. When the chambers inthe revolving cylinder D are arranged so that one of them is receivingair through the ports d d', the other chamber above it will be broughtin aline coincident to the two openings or ports ee, and the chamberbelow it will be brought opposite the opening f, into which a pipe, J,is screwed that conducts oft' the exhausted steam from the chambers a bc as they are successively brought opposite said openingf.

The rarefying-chamber U is providedwith a safety-valve, H', and alsovitha pipe, I, which latter leads oft' to the slide-valve chest g of theengine-cylinder, as shown in Figs. l and 2 of Sheet 1.

The engine whichlhaveshown in thedrawings is constructed in everyessential particular like an ordinary high'pressuresteam-enwell-knownkinds of engines which can be driven by steam may be employed incarrying out my invention, highly-heated air being used as the motiveagent instead of steam.

The manner of treating atmospheric air by my apparatus above described,preparatory to the admission of the air into the valve-chest of theengine, is as follows: Steam at a very low pressure is generated in theboiler A. At

y the same time that the Water in the boiler is being heated therarefying-chamber is also be,-

, ing highly heated, as before explained. During this heating up of theparts the stop-cock S is closed. It is now opened so as to form acommunication with the engine. The steam from the boiler is conveyedthrough pipe A to the rotating cylinder D, where said steam forces theair out of the chambers a b c as they successively come opposite theopenings e e in the disks E E', compelling the air by the impact of thesteam to pass into the pipe leadin gto the rarefying-chamber C. Thesteam will also communicate a certain degree of heat to the air and alsocertain quantities of moisture, which moisture prevents the injuriouseffect consequent upon working heated dry air upon metallic surfaces.

To more fully explain the mode of operation of the cylinder D, supposethe chamber a to be opposite the inlet-ports d 0L for receiving air, thechamber b to be coincident to the ports e e, and the chamberc to beopposite the exhaust-port j'. The relative motion of the rotatingcylinder D and that of the engine will be such that the period ofopening and closing of the valves of the engine will correspond with theopen- `ing` and closing of the cavities in said rotating cylinder, sothat the air, when once it is intro- 4brought opposite the openings ec', when the air will be forced into the rarefying-chamber C by theaction of the steam from the boiler. While this takes place the steamwhich was left in the chamber b will exhaust through the opening f andair will be rushing into the chamber c. At the next chan the chamber cwill bebrought in line with the openings e c', the chamber a in linewith the openingf,

and the chamber b in line with the air-ports. During the passage of thechamber-sab cfrom one opening in the disks to another the air which wasforced into the chamber C will be quickly expanded and caused to actupon one sideor the other of the engine-piston. This takes place whenthe cylinder D acts as a cutoft' between the boiler andrarefying-chamber.

The rotating cylinder' D being driven by means cfa chain, belt, orgearing connected in any suitable manner with the main shaft of theengine H, it will be very easy to preserve the proper relative movementsof the saidcylinder and valve or valves of the engine. The number ofrevolutions of the rotating cylinder D will be regulated by the numberofcavities y or chambers in this cylinder.

Instead of employing a rotating chambered cylinder for bringing airunder the influence of steam, as above set forth, other contrivancesoperating upon the same principle may be employed such, for instance, asan oscillating or vibrating segment havin g suitable chambers in it.

The rotating or oscillating air-chambers may be used in connection withany of the wellknown steam-engines by suitably applying said chambers tothe pipe leading from the boiler to the steam-chest of theengine-cylinder and dispensing with the rarefying-chamber C shown in thedrawings. In this case the air will be expanded by the caloric in thesteam, the pressure from the boiler being cut oft' during thisoperation, as described, when the rareiying-chamber is used. v

By my inventionl avoid the danger of boilers exploding, for the rea-sonthat the steam used in conjunction with the reheating-chamber orrareiier need never exceed a very low pressure. Steam generated at 212Oof heat is one atmosphere, and one-pound pressure to the square inchwill instantaneously expel air from cavities or chambers. Iobtain asaving of all fuel over and above the quantity `which is necessary toraise steam toa very low pressure. I economize the waste heat whichordinarily escapes up the smoke-stack, utilizing it to preserve acertain relation between the speed of the slide-valve,it1 a slide-valveengine be used, and the speed of the cylinder B. This may be done byvarying the size of the driving-pulley on the main shaft of the engineaccording to the diameter of the cylinder and the positions oi' thechambers therein. The cylinder D must malte one revolution to that ofthe en gine-shaft, or it must make two, three, or more revolutions toone of the engine-shaft. Whatever number is determined upon, suchrelative speed must be preserved. n

When the rareer is not used the air and steam will both pass to theengine under a high pressure; but when the raretier is used air alone isconducted to the engine.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. Working engines by the combined action of steam and air by meanssubstantially as described.

2. The employment of steam acting dir'ectly upon atmospheric air for thepurpose of compressing the air into a rarefying-chamber whichcommunicates with the valve-chest of an engine through meanssubstantially as described.

3. Heating and expanding air and communicatingto it certain quantitiesof moisture by means of steam acting directly upon the air, and thenfurther rarefying the air thus treated for the purposes of employing itas a motive agent through means substantially as herein described.

4. The com bination of a chambered cylinder, D, with the ported plates EE and a steamgenerator, said cylinder operating substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination of air-supplying chambers, constructed and operatingsubstantially as described, with a raret'ying-chamber, C, or itsequivalent, and a steam-generator, substantially as described.

. 6. Arranging the air-rarefying chamber C in such relation to thesteam-generator that the same iire will heat both, substantially asdescribed. l

7. The arrangement, substantially as herein described, whereby eitherrotary or oscillatory motion is communicated to the chamberedairsupplier D from the engine in such manner that the relative motionsof the said supplier D and ot' the engine will be such that the periodsot' opening and closing of the valves of the engine will correspond withthe open'` ing and closing of the cavities of the air-supplier D,substantially as described.

JOHN B. ATWATER.

itnesses LU. H. DEUEY, GEO. B. CARPENTER.

